by Kimberly Blair, Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

by Kimberly Blair, Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A controversial reality TV show could pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Pensacola area over two months of filming eight young adults' summer of debauchery.

But the economic windfall isn't worth it, according to a growing chorus of local protesters. Ironically, the grassroots, social media-driven effort to give CMT's second season of Party Down South the boot is led by young adults in the show's target audience.

News that producers were coming to town to film the show's second season ignited a raging debate this week as thousands of people took to social media and even email to protest it. Late Thursday, W.A. "Buck" Lee, Santa Rosa Island Authority executive director, said producers no longer were planning to come to Pensacola Beach. It was not immediately clear whether the show still was shopping for locations around the greater Pensacola area.

Since launching Wednesday, more than 9,800 people have "liked" the Locals Against Party Down South Facebook page. The likes grow by hundreds per hour. Conversely, a Facebook page supporting the show cropped up Thursday but garnered only a fraction of likes.

More than 1,600 people have signed a petition, spun off from the Facebook protest, to be delivered to Gov. Rick Scott stating, "We the people of Pensacola do not want CMT's Party Down South to take place in our town EVER. ... We're hoping we can be put on the map based on our support to keep our integrity, not selling it to a show that exploits eight people for $500 an episode."

Despite the rising tide of protests, there are businesses and individuals who were rolling out the welcome mat. The show's raunchy reputation aside, there's little doubt that local companies could profit from its filming here. A Pensacola nonprofit, Appetite 4 Life, plans to feed terminally ill people with money earned from a catering deal with Party Down South.

So why the ruckus? The series, which debuted in January and is broadcast at 10 p.m. Thursdays, follows eight young Southerners during a summer of fun involving booze, bar fights and bed hopping. The premise is they're young adults who embrace Southern values.

But those aren't the same Southern values embraced by the young women at the center of the grassroots movement protesting the series. Amber Kelley, 30, and Bri Snellgrove, 26, are members of Pensacola Young Professionals. They and many of their Facebook followers fall into the demographic the show is targeting.

"It's supposed to be about Southern ways and living and bonding," Kelley said. "All it is is a drunk fest and promiscuity. It's not a representation of our culture in the South or our area."

One poster on their Facebook page summed up what's rubbing locals the wrong way: "Jersey Shore and Party Down South are like the TV producers' big inside joke of stereotyping us. PDS makes a mockery of our Southern pride by showing adults who claim to have manners and then cut immediately to some of the worst behavior seen outside of a frat house."

Pensacola native Beej Davis, who is proud of his Southern roots, asked on Facebook what the Spanish explorer responsible for the birth of Pensacola would think about it becoming known as the city for Party Down South.

He jumped on the page Wednesday when there were only 400 likes. "We love our city," he said. "It takes one silly show like this to cast a shadow on us. John Q. Public is going to see this show and associate it with Pensacola, and that's unfortunate."

Beach divided

The groundswell of opposition also is coming from Pensacola Beach residents and businesses, where producers for Burbank, Calif.-based 495 Productions - producers of Jersey Shore and other extreme reality shows - have been in town signing contracts to film in businesses and to rent homes.

Beach restaurants such as Peg Leg Pete's, Sidelines and Red Fish, Blue Fish have posted on the Locals Against Party Down South Facebook page that they're not allowing filming. To applaud their actions, Kelley and Snellgrove said they are asking all of their Facebook fans to head to the beach this weekend and support those businesses.

Pensacola Beach Advocates issued an alert to its members urging them to research the show before they sign anything. They provided numerous links to the series' website along with links to news articles about the controversy that erupted last year in Murrells Inlet, S.C., where the inaugural season was filmed.

The beach leaseholders' group told members if they find it "offensive, belittling and disruptive to our community as we do, then we must work together to get this stopped. Email or call the SRIA board members and the Escambia County Commissioners and tell them you don't want this show in our community."

Sharon Holler, owner of the Dog House Deli downtown and its spinoff restaurant on Pensacola Beach, said once she read the contract producers were asking her to sign, she said "no way."

"They came in the shop on Monday and took pictures and asked us to sign a contract for March 14 through May 15," she said. "The contract said we'd agree to let them come in and film any time and anything they wanted to. We'd lose all of our right as to what is filmed and aired."

She didn't have to stretch her imagination too far to guess how producers would exploit the restaurant.

"We already get enough off-colored jokes about wieners," she said. "It becomes a joke in here when it's a partying, late-night crowd, but it's not going to be shown on national TV."

Other bars and restaurants, including Paddy O'Leary's Irish Pub and Niki's on the Beach, are signing contracts.

"We want to support this because we got burned when the Blue Angels show and DeLuna Fest canceled last year," said D. Jay Coughlin, manager of Niki's. "We lost thousands and thousands of dollars. This reality show will bring tons and tons of revenue to not just us, but to the hotels, convenience stores.

"With this being our first year opened out here, we need to do whatever we can to stay open. If that's to support a stupid reality show, so be it."

Besides, he said, he has watched the show and the cast doesn't act any differently from the late-night crowd of partiers on the beach.

Faced with growing opposition, the Santa Rosa Island Authority added the issue to its Wednesday meeting agenda at the last minute. They decided to ink a letter to the producers - two of whom were in the meeting audience - saying they can't stop them from filming on the beach, but they better abide by the laws in doing so.

"We can't keep people off of the beach, but we can make sure they abide by the laws," said Lee, with SRIA. "If they come out here, they need to stay away from the neighbors. They can't have 18-wheelers out here and bright lights."

Financial opportunity

Celeste Southard, executive director of Appetite 4 Life, helms one of the local businesses that stands to lose if Party Down South producers choose to pass on Pensacola.

She has a $150,000 contract to feed the cast and crew for 56 days, but she believes staying true to the community that supports her nonprofit - which provides thousands of meals for terminally ill and hungry people - is more important.

"We'd like to have the money," she said. "But the whole reason we have our nonprofit is the help from the community. We want what is best for the community."

Losing out on a possible economic boon also is a concern of Visit Pensacola.

Steve Hayes, Visit Pensacola vice president of tourism development, said the board met Wednesday with producers, who told them they spent a little more than $1 million in 27 days in Murrells Inlet during filming last year.

But they didn't offer any other economic details that allowed the board to take a stand on whether to support the project, Hayes said.

"From the board's perspective, we're waiting on more information," he said. "What is the impact to the community - the positive and the downside? We don't want to appear we are not friendly to the film and movie industry."

Gus Corbella, who has served as Florida's Film and Entertainment Advisory Council the past three years, said the area would lose out on big bucks if they don't embrace Party Down South.

"Feature films and television productions spend on average of $225,000 per day on location, providing an infusion of new money to local businesses, including hotel rooms, rental cars, restaurants, legal and medical services, security, office space and equipment rentals," he said.

With that said, he stressed that saying "no" to one TV project the community does not believe is a good fit, won't send a negative message to the industry.

"Tell residents of Pensacola not to worry," he said. "Hollywood and the entertainment industry are always looking at the Panhandle and state for filming movies and TV. We have a lot to offer. I respect Pensacola protecting their image."